Tiridates rubrocinctus rubrocinctus ( Herrich-Schaeffer, 1837 )

Eger, J. E., 1987, A Review of the Genus Tiridates Stal (Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea: Scutelleridae), The Florida Entomologist 70 (3), pp. 687-716 : 343-347

Tiridates rubrocinctus rubrocinctus ( Herrich-Schaeffer, 1837)

Pachycoris rubrocinctus Herrich-Schaeffer, 1837, p. 9 , fig. 352; Germar, 1839, p. 103.

Agonosoma rubrocinctum : Dohrn, 1859, p. 4; Stal, 1862, p. 83 (vars. a-d described).

Agonosoma rubrocincta : Walker, 1867, p. 60.

Tiridates rubrocinctus : Stal, 1867, p. 494; Stal, 1870, p. 14; Distant, 1880, p. 19 (synonymy); Uhler, 1886, p. 2 (synonymy); Distant, 1889, p. 313; Lethierry and Severin, 1893, p. 35 (synonymy); Schouteden, 1904, p. 69 (synonymy); Kirkaldy, 1909, p. 278.

Tiridates rubrocinctus decemmaculata Kirkaldy, 1909, p. 278 (= var. c Stal, 1862), NEW SYNONYMY.

Tiridates rubrocinctus decolor Kirkaldy, 1909, p. 278 (= var. b Stal, 1862), NEW SYNONYMY.

Tiridates rubrocinctus magnifica Kirkaldy, 1909, p. 278 (= var. d Stal, 1862), NEW SYNONYMY.

Tiridates rubrocinctus sexmaculata Kirkaldy, 1909, p. 278 (= var. a Stal, 1862), NEW SYNONYMY.

Length of body 11. 7- 14.6. Head: broader than long (3.6-4.4 wide, 3.2 - 4.0 long), entirely black or dark brown to broadly orange or red bordered. Venter of head entirely black. Antennae dark brown to black; length of segments 1-5: 0.8- 1.0; 0.6-0.8; 0.8-1.0; 1.3-1. 7; 1.9-2.2. Rostrum dark brown to black, reaching 2nd to 3rd visible abdominal sternite.

Thorax: pronotum 3.5-4. 7 long, 6.5-8.4 wide; typically black or dark brown with anterior, antero- and postero-lateral margins broadly yellow to red bordered and with median longitudinal yellow to red vitta. Colored borders and median vitta occasionally broken or absent, or expanded to cover entire pronotum. Dark brown maculae frequently present in colored borders; these occasionally reduced or absent. Thoracic venter typically dark brown to black with orange to red macula occasionally present laterally on each metapleuron; coxae and small portion of adjacent pleura ocasionally red or yellow. Legs dark brown to black, occasionally with red to yellow band on femora. Ostiolar rugae 0.6-0.9 long; distance from ostiole to metacoxae 1.2-1.7, distance from ostiole to anterolateral corner of metapleuron 1.9-2.4. Scutellum 6.8-8.4 long, 6.5-8.5 wide; typically bordered on all sides by yellow to red vittae and with median transverse yellow to red vitta; median longitudinal vitta sometimes also present. Vittae frequently reduced, broken, or lacking, or vittae expanded to cover all of scutellum except 1 or 2 pairs of median black maculae.

Abdomen: venter dark brown to black, usually with red to yellow macula mesially on 2nd to 5th visible sternites (rarely extending onto 6th sternite); this macula frequently on fewer segments and occasionally lacking; broken lateral submarginal band of poorly defined red to yellow maculae infrequently present. Mid-ventral length of visible abdominal sternites 2-6: males 0.7-0.9, 0.5-0.6, 0.5-0.6, 0.6-0.7, 3.0-3.5; females 0.8- 1.0, 0. 7-0.8, 0. 7-0.8, 0. 7-0.8, 2.9-3.2.

Apex of posterior arm of pygophoral process truncate, apex of anterior arm rounded ( Fig. 11 ). Parameres and proctiger as in Figs. 9 and 10 . Thecal processes elongate, apices acute ( Figs. 7, 8 ). Thecal lobes broadly rounded at apex, not encircling vesica. Vesica thin, abruptly curving ventrad.

Posterior lobe of each first gonocoxa directed mesad; anterior lobe with thin, weakly sclerotized band along posterior margin ( Fig. 21 ). Plates on floor of genital chamber moderately sclerotized, relatively flat; widely separated mesially ( Fig. 23 ).

TYPES. The type of Pachycons rubrocinctus is apparently lost. Stal (1862) described four varieties of T. rubrocinctus as vars. a-d. Kirkaldy (1909) subsequently named each variety. Thus, Stal's specimens are the type specimens for Kirkaldy's varieties (subspecies) of T. rubrocinctus . Specimens of T. rubrocinctus from Stal's collection were located in the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet in Stockholm. Stal did not label his vars. a-d, but specimens agreeing with the descriptions of three of the four varieties were located. Lectotypes and paralectotypes are designated as follows:

Tiridates rubrocinctus sexmaculata Kirkaldy LECTOTYPE: Male, labelled: (a) " Mexico." (b) " Boucard." (c) "415, 86." (d) "Riksmuseum, Stockholm".

PARALECTOTYPES: 2 females: (a) " Mexico." (b) " Salle." (c) "413, 86." (d) "Riksmuseum, Stockholm"; and (a) " Mexico." (b) " Salle ." (c) "414, 86." (d) "Riksmuseum, Stockholm".

Tiridates rubrocinctus decolor Kirkaldy LECTOTYPE: Male, Labelled: (a) " Mexico." (b) " Tiridates rubrocinctus H.S." (c) "417, 86." (d) "Riksmuseum, Stockholm".

PARALECTOTYPE: Female: (a) " Mexico." (b) "Stal." (c) "412, 86." (d) "Riksmuseum, Stockholm".

Tiridates rubrocinctus decemmaculata Kirkaldy LECTOTYPE: Female, labelled: (a) " Mexico." (b) "Stal." (c) "416, 86." (d) "Riksmuseum, Stockholm". Apparently no paralectotypes.

Tiridates rubrocinctus magnifica Kirkaldy No specimens examined agreed with Stal's description of this, var. d, although it probably belongs in the synonymy of the nominate subspecies as did Stal's other varieties. Specimens on which this variety was based are apparently not extant.

Distribution: Mexico, states of Veracruz, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, and Tamaulipas. Comments: Although there is considerable variation in the color patterns in this and other species of Tiridates , all variations are apparently built on a typical pattern of marginal, median longitudinal and median transverse vittae. These vittae may be reduced or absent, or expanded to cover virtually all of the dorsum.

Figures

Figs. 7-14. 7-12. Tiridates rubrocinctus rubrocinctus. 7.) Aedeagus, dorsal aspect; vesica (V); thecal process (TP); thecal lobe (TL). 8.) Aedeagus, lateral aspect. 9.) Proctiger, caudal aspect. 10.) Right paramere, lateral aspect. 11.) Genital cup, caudal aspect, omitting parameres and proctiger; anterior lobe of pygophoral process (A); posterior lobe of pygophoral process (P). 12.) Genital cup, caudal margin, lateral aspect. 13-14. Tiridates rubrocinctus schaffneri. 13.) Aedeagus, lateral aspect. 14.) Right paramere, lateral aspect. Dimensional lines equal 1.0 mm.

Figs. 21-22. Female genital plates; first gonocoxae (Gxl); second gonocoxae (Gx2); eighth paratergites (Pt8); ninth paratergites (pt9); sclerotized plates on floor of genital chamber (SP); 21.) Tiridates rubrocinctus rubrocinctus. 22.) T. mexicanus.

Figs. 23-26. 23-25. Sclerotized plates in floor of genital chamber. 23.) T. rubrocinctus rubrocinctus. 24.) T. rubrocinctus schaffneri. 25.) T. mexicanus. 26.) T. rubrocinctus rubrocinctus, spermatheca and related structures; sclerotized groove in floor of genital chamber (SG); dilation of spermathecal duct (D); proximal flange of spermathecal pump (PF); distal flange of spermathecal pump (DF); spermathecal bulb (B). Dimensional lines equal 1.0 mm.